possession of Uria.h's wife. 6. He also declares, by way of punishment, that war would srise in his own honee; tha.t the purity and safety of hie domestic life would be invaded• snd that the punishment of his secret sin would be open. 6. On David confessing h~ guilt, Natha.n assures him that the Lord had eo far put away his sin that he should not die, but that the child of his guilt should. Nathan's parab7e. This remarkable parable is, perhaps, the most exquisite gem of the kind in the Old Testament. Ita beauty and pathos a.re enhanced by the plain matter-of-fact way in which the historian narrates, in ob. xi., the fall of David and his subsequent crime. .Apart from its specific purpose, it indicates to us the occasional functions of the prophets in those times as admonishers of kings and rulers, and conse- quently as representatives of the Divine element in the history of Israel. The great variety of teaching in this parable may be briefly indicated thus- I. .A DOUBLE LIFE. At least ten months had elapsed from the date of David's fall to the visit of Nathan. During that period many public and private e.ote had been performed by the king in the ordinary course of life, in addition to those referred to in eh. xi.14-2i. It was his policy to keep up a good appearance-to be in administra- tion, in public worship, in regard for religious ordinances, and in general morality all that he had ever been. He passed still as the pious, just ruler and exemplary man. That was one life. But inwardly there was another. 'fhe conscience was dull, or, if it spoke plainly, was constantly being suppressed. The uncomfortableness of secret sin induced self-reproach and loss of self-respect. He was an instance of a man " holding the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom. i. 18). This double life is the experience of every good man who falls into sin and seeks to cover it up. He knows too much to be really happy, but he is too enslaved by his sin to be truly godly. The outside is fair; within is desolation. II. F'ELLOWSBIP IN SIN. David and Bathsheba shared in a fellowship of sin. They, most probably without words, communed with each other over their guilt, and so far strengthened the chains of iniquity. Two individuals in possession of a dreadful secret do not, dare not, speak about it. There is simply a common understanding and a mutual support in keeping up the appearance necessary to social reputation. It is a pitiable sight before God and holy angels I It is a case of the fallen, the defiled, the inwardly wretched, and the prospectively condemned, seeking to find comfort and atrength in each other's sympathy. The channels of sympathetic feeling are filled by a polluted stream of affection and interest. IIL A LOST OB.A.BJL It is well known that a pure disposition and a clear conscience lend a charm to persona.I life; much more does such deep and strong piety ae once characterized the "man after God's own heart." If we, in reading the historic natTative of David's early years, and the psalms, in which his best thoughts are embodied, feel the spell of his spirit, we may be sure that those in daily converse with him recognized a charm of the most exalted kind. But all that was now gone, because the honesty and the purity from which it sprang were no more. In vain did he strive to maintain the form of godliness; in vain this careful discharge of official duties and kindly bearing 0
towards his friends. The "secret of the Lord" was lost. The salt had lost its savour, To truly spiritual men he would not be as in former times. This loss of a spiritual charm always takes place when good men fall into sin and cover it up. The light of the spiritual eye is dim. The pure ring of the voice is gone. The "form of godliness" is left, but th.e " power " is no more. IV. Tm: DIVD!IE BEDBV.E. At least ten months elapsed before Nathan was com- missioned by God to speak to David. The lustful look, the secret deed, the scheme for concealment and for the death of Uriah, were allowed to pass and issue in seeming success without one act of a decidedly positive character, as far as we know, on the part of God either to Bmite with punishment or bring to penitence. The "workers of iniquity" flourished, and the innocent perished unavenged (Pe. xcii. 7; cf. xii. 6; Prov. i. 11-19). That conscience uttered its protest, and that the laws of mind as con- stituted by God worked miaery from the first in tbe inner life of David, is no doubt true; bu.t there was no open justice, no obvious interposition on behalf of the oppressed, no distinct and proportionate chastisement, no special call to repentance. Human nature took it.II course, and human society-remained in relation to the sinner unchanged. on. :m. 1-31.] THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL, 293